Never
by AstroPhantom
Summary: A series of seven stories I wrote for Tucker Appreciation Week 2015!
1. Never Gonna Give You Up

**Never Gonna Give You Up**

 **Day 1: Technology**

* * *

"C'mon, Tucker. It's time."

"No."

"It's almost been 6 years."

"So?"

"Well, we thought you liked being up-to-date on this kind of stuff."

"Yes, for THIS. But not…those."

"It's basically the same thing, and more."

"So is Danny versus a normal human being. He can be the 'more' thing in my life."

"You're being ridiculous."

Sam and Tucker had been sitting around the Foleys' dining room table for the past fifteen minutes, waiting for Danny to arrive so the trio could go to the mall together. During that time, Sam had been trying desperately to convince Tucker that it was time for him to upgrade to an iPhone already and retire his PDA. He had been a PDA advocate ever since his first model that he'd gotten for his birthday in the 6th grade, and had continuously kept up with the latest models of the now-outdated device. Sam couldn't think of one other person that used PDAs, save for Technus when he overshadowed Tucker's.

Finally, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Danny. Sam got up to let him in as Tucker just continued to stare at his PDA laying in the middle of the table, a forlorn look on his face.

"You know, for a boy that can fly, you sure do have a knack for getting to things late," Sam said with a smirk as she saw Danny's wind-whipped hair.

"Hello to you to, gorgeous," Danny replied as he pecked her on the lips before following her in to sit next to Tucker. "Hey Tuck! Still in love with the PDA?"

Tucker sighed wearily and looked up from his technology. "Do I have to do this?"

"You do if you want all your other devices to be in sync with your mobile one."

"Hey! The PDA can sync with my other things!" Tucker answered defensively.

"But you have to boot up 3 different programs to do so, and that's just on your main desktop," Sam chimed in.

"Doesn't bother me. I have that down to a science now."

"Tucker! Get real! You don't even have to plug in an iPhone to sync it. You don't even have to press any buttons if you don't want to. It's all automatic now. You know, in the cloud," Danny informed him. "You'd think a techno geek like you would be more excited about that, hmm?"

Tucker hesitated for a brief second - it did sound enticing - but this was his baby they were talking about. The two had been through a lot, and he wasn't ready to give that up yet. He had to keep stalling the inevitable.

"Think back, Tucker," Sam began. "Remember when you didn't want to upgrade to a PS3 from GameCube, but then you ended up loving the PS3? This is just like that. We promise."

"But that was-"

"No it wasn't."

"But I love-"

"And you'll love this one as well."

His friends were already two steps ahead of him. Tucker was fighting a lost battle. But he still had a trick or two up his sleeve.

"Well…what if Skulker comes back and we need to hack into his system again?"

"Dude, even _Skulker_ has upgraded his suit. The PDA won't work on him anymore," Danny told him.

This got to Tucker. He knew his PDA and other tech were important to ghost fights, but hearing that made him realize that it may really be time to retire the ol' girl. "So you're saying…if I don't upgrade, then I'm putting us all at a greater risk against ghosts?"

"I- Well, yes. Yes I am saying that. If you don't upgrade from the PDA, we're all in grave danger," Danny answered with a resounding fold of his arms.

Sam giggled quietly to herself at that before adding, "Yeah. And we all know your PDA - and hopefully yourself - wouldn't be able to live with that guilt. It's for the best, Tucker." She brought her hand up to pat his arm comfortingly.

Checkmate. With a sigh, Tucker took a long look at each of his friends, before finally standing up and carefully gathering his PDA in his hands. "Alright, I guess I'll go…put her to rest…"

The other two rolled their eyes at his over-dramatizing, but smiled up at him anyway as he began the trek up to his room to add the old device to his not-so-secret shoebox of outdated technology. The couple stared at each other silently until they heard the ominous click of Tucker's bedroom door. With that, Danny stood up and transformed into his Phantom self.

"Gonna go make sure he doesn't climb out the window and run away?" Sam asked knowingly.

"You bet. Meet us at the Apple store. We'll be there in five." Danny said as he floated up through the ceiling to Tucker's room.

Sam got up and began the walk to the mall to beat the boys there. Danny was going to need all the muscle he could obtain to get Tucker into that store.

* * *

 _The first of seven parts I wrote for Tucker Appreciation Week! :)_


	2. Never Gonna Let You Down

**Never Gonna Let You Down**

 **Day 2: Romance**

* * *

"Now SIT!"

Tucker sat begrudgingly on one of the tall wooden stools, or really, was pushed onto it by his two friends who continued to flank him once they had finally reached their goal. It had taken them nearly twenty minutes to get him to this point, and yet already he just wanted to go back home to his PDA.

Looking around, the three saw tables filled with shiny new Apple products, most of which Tucker already had and knew inside and out, but there was one he had always avoided out of respect to his older technology: the iPhone. In Tucker's mind, Danny and Sam were crazy and didn't know what they were talking about. His PDA was still as good as new, was nearly indestructible (as proven by many ghost fights), and carried the nostalgia and processing power that only a true techno geek was able to appreciate.

"Sam, why don't you go find someone to help us? I'm going to stand here and keep guard of the flight risk," Danny said, taking charge of the situation.

"Aye aye, Capitan," Sam replied, taking off to find one of the blue-clad employees who wasn't busy.

Tucker took one long last mean glance at Danny before slumping in his spot, chin cupped in his propped-up hands and the most pitiful look he could pull off on his face.

"Aw, come on, Tuck. It's not that bad! Just…try to focus on tomorrow night. Remember? Mega-movie marathon at Sam's? She's even letting you bring your own mini-meat buffet!" Danny tried comfortingly.

"But that's over 24 hours away! What am I supposed to do in the-" Tucker halted mid-sentence, caught off-guard by the sight that met his eyes.

Sam had finally come back with an employee, an Apple Genius, to be exact. And she was the most gorgeous, mind-bogglingly hot Genius Tucker had ever seen. She had long blonde hair, sleek glasses, and a very pretty smile. Her name badge read, "Cassie," and already he was both smitten with her and had a dropped jaw.

"Hi there! Tucker, is it? I'm Cassie," she began. "Your friend Sam here tells me you're looking for an iPhone."

Tucker could only nod and squeak out, "Uh huh."

"Great! Well, our latest model is the iPhone 7S, which is the most advanced smartphone available today. It has all the newest processors, and its memory ranges from 64 gigabytes to 216 gigabytes."

Her tech-savvy talk almost knocked Tucker over. Danny noticed this and whispered in Sam's ear, "Well, it looks like he's distracted from his PDA."

"I'll say. I wonder how long it'll be before he makes a move on her," she whispered back.

As if on cue, Tucker found a second wind in his spirit and stood up, running a hand over his beret and clearing his throat. "You know," he started. "I think I'll go with the 216 gigs. In black. But I do have one more question."

"Yes?"

"What do you say to you coming over tonight and helping me set it up?"

Danny and Sam both smirked at this. They both knew he was more than capable of setting the phone up on his own. At least they had their Tucker back.

"And then perhaps afterwards we can catch a movie, maybe grab a burger?" he finished off with his signature suave grin.

"Uhh…" Cassie began, taken aback by Tucker's boldness.

Sam saw where this was going and, not wanting to hear him whine about his PDA _and_ the girl for the next month, quickly pulled a twenty out of her pocket and held it up behind Tucker for her to see.

That seemed to help. "Sure. Okay! Well Tucker, why don't you come with me and give me your number to set up your phone, and I'll give you mine for tonight?" Cassie said, gesturing him towards the back counter, before turning around and quietly taking the twenty from Sam with a silent but understanding nod.

"You know he's gonna kill us when he finds out," Danny remarked as he and Sam watched the two techno-geeks walk away.

"IF he finds out," Sam retorted.

"For a goth girl, you sure are putting a lot of trust in a blonde."

"And for a ghost boy, you sure are doing a lot of standing around. C'mon, let's go get some lunch and leave the two new lovebirds to it."

"You know, it's fun to hear that when it's not being directed at us."

"About time Tucker got a taste of his own medicine. Though I'm sure he'll enjoy that much more than we did."

"I think he already is. Look."

Sam whipped her head around to see a still love-struck Tucker leaning over his new iPhone, trying to get use to the lack of a PDA stylus, as Cassie relayed her phone number to him. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

* * *

 _Everyone, say hello to my OC Cassie. You'll be seeing more of her._


	3. Never Gonna Run Around and Desert You

**Never Gonna Run Around and Desert You - Day 3: Power**

* * *

Tucker wasn't sure whether he should be mad. His date the night before with the Apple Genius girl, Cassie, had gone remarkably well, considering his previous track record with girls and the fact that he could not have acted more techno-geeky around her, but it was the revelation at the end of the night that had prompted him to arrive at Sam's early the next morning.

"Tucker, what's wrong? It's so ear-" Sam grumbled as she opened the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"How could you have given Cassie twenty dollars to go out with me?" Tucker started immediately, not caring about the hour.

"Damn it. Danny was right. I should've never trusted a blonde to keep a secret," Sam replied.

"Sam, who's at the- oh! Hey, Tuck! You got here really early. I thought we were all meeting at noon?" Danny asked as he walked up behind Sam, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, change of plans," Tucker said, walking in past the two and heading towards the Mansons' kitchen island.

"What's got him in a tizzy?" Danny whispered to Sam.

"He found out about the twenty."

"Oooh, gotcha. And for the record, told ya."

"Yeah yeah." Sam shrugged him off, following their friend to the kitchen. "Listen, Tucker, I'm sorry about the twenty, but was the date really that bad?"

Tucker started to fidget on the stool he was perched on. "Well…no…it was actually really, _really_ nice. Like, _really_ nice." He wiggled his eyebrows at Danny in a knowing you-get-me-bro manner. "And she genuinely told me she really did enjoy herself too, and we even have plans for a second date! But before she left she told me that you gave her a twenty behind my back!"

"So? You _both_ still had a good time, it seems like," Sam returned, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Doesn't matter. It's the principle behind it now. Point is, you guys both doubt my charming abilities as a ladies' man!" Tucker exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in a dramatic huff of emphasis.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Both? Sam's the one who gave her the twenty, not me!" Danny said in defense of himself.

"But you knew!" Tucker accused. "You knew and you didn't tell me! That definitely violates the Dude Code!"

Sam saw that this was starting to escalate into something worse, and tried to calm the guys down. "Okay, look, Tucker! Danny and I are both very sorry for giving Cassie the twenty and not telling you about it. We just didn't want to see you get heartbroken again, that's all."

"See? You guys still don't think I can get girls on my own. Just because you two are dating, doesn't mean that you guys have to go around setting up dates for me. I fly solo when it comes to the ladies, which means I do NOT need any help!"

"Okay, okay! We get it! We really are sorry, Tuck," Danny responded.

"It's gonna take a lot more than sorry this time. I'm sick of being the third wheel of our group!"

"Well, what else do you want us to do?"

"Hmm…" Tucker stared off into space for a few seconds, a contemplative look in his eyes before a sly grin spread across his face. "Today, we have to do whatever _I_ want."

Sam shot death glares at Danny for provoking Tucker's response, before asking, "You're making us your slaves for the day?"

"Not slaves," he responded. "But we're always either fighting ghosts or doing something you guys suggested. There's a bunch of stuff I wanna do too!"

"Alright, alright. Fine, Tuck, what do you want to do first?" Danny inquired.

"Well…for starters, I was thinking we could go tour the local tech company, and then go get some lunch at that new all-meat buffet," he said, smirking at Sam, who had pursed her lips into a thin, begrudging line. His punishment for the two was mostly aimed at Sam. "And then we could go test drive some of the new Hummers, spend a few hours shopping for some new berets, and then come back here for movie night and watch some of _my_ movies. And you guys can't complain at all today."

Sam had crossed her arms in an act of defiance by the end of his to-do list, but ultimately looked over at Danny, who nodded and said, "Alright, we're in. Today's your day, Tuck. Just give us a bit to get ready, and we'll get going!" He motioned Sam to come with him up the stairs to her room.

As they walked away, Tucker heard Sam grumble, "Why does it have to be the meat buffet?" Danny just simply rubbed her back and let out a small laugh in response.

As far as Tucker was concerned, however, he was overjoyed that they were finally doing something that _he_ wanted to do. And he knew his friends wouldn't be too upset with what he had planned. No matter what the trio was doing, they always had at least a decent time if they were together. It just so happened that he was gonna have a better time today, and that was okay with him. And to be fair, Danny and Sam did deserve their punishment.

And if he _really_ thought about it, he _did_ look like that one Pharaoh, and it was about time his throne was served _some_ justice…

* * *

 _You tell 'em, Tuck._


	4. Never Say Never

**Never Say Never - Day 4: Fandom**

* * *

5:09 pm.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked up to Amity Park's movie theater, fold-up chairs, coolers, and music in tow. The three of them had been waiting for this day for a long time, and after Tucker's Day of Rule had ended the night before, they had not stopped talking about it. They were mere hours away now from the world midnight premiere of _Avengers: Age of Ultron_.

"YES! Third in line!" Tucker shouted as he took stock of their seat locations for the next six hours. "Told ya it was a good idea to leave super early!"

"Well, I am definitely glad you were right in this case," Danny replied as he began to set up his chair with the others.

Tucker had made the right call, as he had had this night planned for the past three months and was set on it being perfect. The Avengers were his favorite superheroes, and he had been dreaming about this ever since the first trailer premiered on T.V. He had made Danny and Sam stay up all night with him to be the first to buy tickets online, and had even made them cosplay with him. He had dressed up as Iron Man, Sam as the Black Widow, and Danny as Captain America.

There had been a slight scuffle over who was to be Iron Man at first - Danny or Tucker. Danny had insisted that he be Iron Man, since he could actually shoot rays out of his hands, which would make for a more authentic costume. But Sam and Tucker had both agreed that he would be the perfect Captain America, seeing as how he was already basically the clean-cut all-American superhero.

Sam, surprisingly, barely needed any more motivation to dress up as the Black Widow. She was more than willing to dress up in sleek purple-and-black for the night (which Danny had no objections to), and the name itself was an enticement to her.

As for Tucker, he had been nothing short of proud the first time he had put on his Iron Man suit. He had needed Sam to pull a few strings to get some of the parts, but once done, the only things it couldn't do were fly and use heavy weaponry (his palm rays did have some small-scaled Fenton blasters built in, however). To top it all off, he had even put on a fake goatee, which, he had to admit, looked pretty good on him.

Within minutes, the trio had their chairs set up and some tunes playing. They were situated under an overhang, which was perfect since there was a slight drizzle that was threatening to turn into rain. Overall, their set-up looked very cozy, a perfect lead-in to the movie.

* * *

7:22 pm.

"Hey, you guys wanna get something real to eat now? Maybe a pizza? I think there's a place that'll deliver to us right here," Tucker offered as he stretched his arms above his head. The three of them were lined up on their chairs facing Tucker's laptop on top of Danny's snack cooler, watching various Marvel's Avengers movies to prepare for the premiere.

"Sure! I'll order them though. I don't want another vegetarian screw-up like last time," Sam said, sending fake death glares at Tucker, before laughing at the memory of the incident. "Besides, I know a guy."

"You know a guy for, like, everything," he replied.

"Eh, it's a perk. So, all-meat for you guys? Pineapple as well on yours, Danny?" she said, starting to dial the pizza guy on her phone.

"You know me oh-so-well, _Natasha_ ," Danny answered, squeezing her free hand. All night, he had been keeping her in character and had not-so-secretly stolen many a glance at her cosplay outfit.

"Extra bacon on mine, pretty please," Tucker asked in an overly-polite tone.

"Ugh fine, pretty boy. But only because Tony Stark can be a pig sometimes, and, as they say, you are what you-" Sam was cut off, as the three of them were interrupted by the wisp of blue smoke that spilled out of Danny's mouth.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Danny exclaimed, looking up at the sky with the others to see Skulker hovering above the arcade across the street. "Why tonight?" With a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking followed by a duck behind his chair, Danny flashed into his Phantom self. "Hopefully this'll be quick. I don't want cold pizza."

Before the ghost had a chance to take off into the air, Tucker noticed Danny's Captain America shield propped up against his chair and yelled, "STOP! Hey, Cap, you know, we could have some fun with this, considering what night it is…" He motioned towards the shield.

Danny looked between his friend and the shield, before giving a sly grin and picking it up. "You're right. Care to help me, Iron Man?"

"You two lovebirds have fun. I'll wait here for the pizzas and watch our spot," Sam butted in.

"Hey! If I'm a lovebird with anyone now, it's Cassie!" Tucker defended, shrugging off his and Danny's bromance.

"Don't worry, ma'am, I'll be back. _As a hero_ ," Danny told her, dipping her into a passionate kiss before picking up Tucker and flying towards their foe. "Alright, Tuck, let's see what your suit can do."

"You got it, Captain," Tucker said as Danny dropped him onto the arcade's roof.

Not a second later, Danny was back up in the air, a good ten feet from Skulker. "Hey, Skull-head. You're biting off more than you can chew tonight!"

"Very funny, child. But let's just make this sharp and sweet, okay?" Skulker replied.

"Don't you mean _short_ and sweet?"

"Not today." With that, the suited ghost fired off a series of arrows from his shoulder compartments.

Danny didn't miss a beat, as he lifted his shield in front of him, hearing a spattering of arrows bouncing off of it. He looked down at Tucker, yelling, "Okay, your turn, Mr. Stark."

"I'm on it!" Tucker smiled and aimed his palms at the enemy, thrusting his wrists forward against the switches in his suit to activate the Fenton blasters. The blasts hit Skulker square in the chest, causing him to tumble backwards. "Yes!" Tucker pumped his fists in the air in celebration.

Danny took advantage of Skulker's momentary lapse in action, springing at him with a mighty fist raised high above his head. Just as he was about to make contact with his head, however, Skulker turned back on him and grabbed him by the throat. "Tucker! Help!"

Tucker's brain was scrambling. What could he do?

"No use, welp. Remember? I have a new-and-improved stronger suit!" Skulker beamed maniacally at the halfa.

This tidbit seemed to help Tucker, prompting him to remember that while Skulker may have upgraded his suit, he also had a few upgrades of his own up his sleeve. He stealthily reached into his pocket, pulling out his new iPhone.

"Hey Skulker!" Tucker yelled up from the ground. "Have you ever heard of Tony Stark?"

"No."

"Well, he just so happens to be a billionaire and a genius with access to the latest and greatest technology in the world. And, he happens to be standing right in front of you with some of that tech." With that, Tucker pressed a button on his iPhone, causing Skulker's jetpack to activate and launch him high into the air, rendering his suit useless.

Danny took the opportunity to grab his Fenton Thermos and aim it at the ghost, watching the beam of light reach out and pull him into its confines. He capped it off, before returning to Tucker with a big smile on his face. "Nice one, Tuck! Iron Man to the rescue!"

"You know it! And for the record, he's also a playboy and a philanthropist, but I didn't want to rub it in Skulker's face," Tucker said with a laugh. "Now come on, let's go get some pizza."

* * *

11:03 pm.

"Ready to go in, guys?" Danny cried out.

"Ready!" Sam answered, picking her chair up.

Tucker stopped them. "Wait! You guys, we have to do this right!"

Danny and Sam looked at each other confused, before understanding and smiles dawned on their faces as Tucker put his hand out between them.

"Avengers _assemble_!"

* * *

 _They're all dorks._


	5. Never Gonna Say Goodbye

**Never Gonna Say Goodbye - Day 5: Celebration**

* * *

"Man! That was good cake!" Tucker said, leaning back in his chair in satisfaction, licking a remnant of chocolate from the corner of his lips.

"Agreed!" came Cassie's response, her actions mimicking those of Tucker.

The two were on their one-month anniversary date, eating at one of Tucker's favorite fancier-than-Nasty-Burger places to eat, Johnny Garlic's.

"So, ready to go to the movie?" Tucker asked, sitting back in an upright position. He started to look over the check the waiter had dropped off.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping we could watch a movie at your place, if you don't mind? I think it's gonna rain, and it might be more fun to spend a cozy night in cuddled up with my man," Cassie flirted, winking across the table at him.

Tucker had to pinch himself under the table. He usually never had much success with girls, despite his "Too Fine" looks, yet here he was, sitting across from one who actually wanted to act like she was his girlfriend. "Oh, sure, yeah! That does sound…cozier. Let me just pay for the meal and we'll be good to go!"

* * *

Indeed, it was raining by the time the couple got back to Tucker's house. On the front porch, Cassie stood under Tucker's jacket while he put his keys in the lock, opened the door to the Foleys' living room and turned on the lights.

"SURPRISE!"

Tucker's jaw dropped in shock. Danny and Sam, along with about twenty other friends from school, stood with their arms raised and big smiles on their faces. Behind them, there was a large banner strung up that read, "Congratulations!" There were balloons, and streamers, and music playing. Off to the side, Tucker could see a big table of sweets and snacks set up.

"You…what…how…you guys! What's this for?" Tucker asked, still in a daze.

"What? Did you think your two best friends and your girlfriend weren't gonna throw a party for you getting into the National Junior Hackers' Competition?" Sam answered, practically bouncing over with Danny to the two new arrivals.

Tucker looked at Cassie. "You were in on this? The movie?"

"Yep!" she answered, reaching up to give him a kiss. "Surprised?"

"Uh huh. Thank you guys! You're the best!" With that, Tucker squeezed the other three into a big group hug.

"Alright, alright!" Danny said, laughing as he recovered from the force of the hug. "Are we just gonna stand around hugging, or are we gonna PARTY IT UP?"

Tucker couldn't stop smiling as he walked further into his house. People were dancing and having a good time, the living room's T.V. had been overtaken as a video game battle station, and to his even further surprise, there was a giant poster on the dining room wall that read "GOOD LUCK TUCKER!" and, upon closer inspection, had a bunch of well wishes written on it by the party guests. This made Tucker feel all warm and fuzzy inside. No one had ever shown this much appreciation and celebration for something he did before.

Danny walked up behind him while he was still reading the poster. "Hey Tuck! I almost forgot to give this to you, but Technus insisted that I do. I thought it was a trick, but he seemed really psyched about you getting into the competition."

Tucker took the card Danny had handed him. The card itself was a simple Congratulations card from the store, but inside, it read:

"Congratulations, child!

The news of your accomplishment has made me, Technus, extremely proud! May your love of technology always prosper, and may you succeed in the competition to come!

~Your Techno Buddy, Technus"

Tucker started grinning like an idiot. The love he was getting, even from the technologically-inclined ghost, was almost overwhelming. But Technus' card especially had given him a great spike in pride. Ever since the trio had made a truce with him, Technus and Tucker had gotten along surprisingly well, and had become "Techno Buddies" over their mutual love of all things technology.

* * *

Over the next few hours, Tucker had mingled, danced, and participated in a very heated, yet lighthearted, Mario Kart battle with some of his friends, towards the end of which Sam had informed him that they were going to watch a movie soon, but first, they had one more surprise for him.

Danny and Sam led him into the dining room, where everyone had gathered around the table. In the center was, perhaps, the coolest cake Tucker had ever seen. It was covered in black frosting with "Congratulations Tucker!" written in bright green letters, made to look like a hackers' screen. What really got his taste buds' attention though was the fact that the edges of the cake were bordered by licorice and gummy bears, his two favorite candies.

"Whoa! This cake looks amazing you guys! Thank you!" Tucker exclaimed, taking in the sight of it.

"It's double chocolate on the inside, by the way," Danny informed him.

"Sweet! Literally!" With that, he took the cutting tools that Sam had offered him and began to cut the cake into even sections, before taking one for himself and heading to the living room with everyone else and piling themselves on the couches and floor to watch _Big Hero 6_ , a movie that had surprisingly become an instant favorite among them. Danny and Sam had cuddled up under a blanket on one of the couches, with Tucker and Cassie doing the same next to them.

Outside it was still raining, and Tucker took notice of this before whispering in Cassie's ear, "It was a very indirect way, but it looks like you still got your wish."

"What do you mean?" she whispered back.

"Well, it's raining, it's cozy, and we're cuddling up together watching a movie." He took a moment to kiss her on top of her head and pull her in closer. "Happy anniversary, baby!"

"Happy anniversary to you, too. And I don't think I've actually said it out loud to you personally yet, but…congratulations!"

* * *

 _Surprise! Two parts uploaded in one day! And more Cassie! Do you guys_ _like her?_


	6. Never Gonna Make You Cry

**Never Gonna Make You Cry - Day 6: Fashion**

* * *

"Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. _Pick up_."

Tucker was pacing nervously back and forth across his bedroom floor, waiting for Danny to pick up on the other end of his cell phone. On the fifth ring, the half-ghost finally answered.

"Hello? Tuck?" came Danny's gruffly morning voice. Obviously, he had been sleeping.

"Danny! Sorry for the early call, but by any chance did I leave my beret at your place?"

"Uh, hang on, let me look around." Tucker could then hear shuffling on the other end. "Nope, sorry. I don't see it, man. Aren't you supposed to be leaving soon though?"

"Yeah, but I _need_ my beret, and I can't find it anywhere!" Just saying that fact made his stress levels rise a few more levels toward full-blown panic mode.

"Well, did you check with Sam? Or Cassie?" Danny inquired, his voice sounding more awake now.

"Yes! But neither of them had it. And before you ask, I've already looked under every single thing in my house!"

"Alright, alright! Well, can't you just bring another beret along?"

"No, c'mon! You know that's my lucky beret. I'm gonna need it for this!"

Danny didn't need any more explanation than that. He knew that when it came to luck, Tucker was very superstitious. And considering that Tucker was about to leave for the 2-day drive to Silicon Valley for the National Junior Hackers' Competition, he knew that his best friend was not going to leave under any circumstances without his special lucky red beret.

"Okay, umm…where do you remember definitely having it last?" Danny continued.

"I could've sworn I brought it home with me, but I know for sure I had it during lunch, and the movie, and at your house. And I definitely - oh. Oh no," Tucker's eyes started to grow wide as the realization hit him.

"Tucker?" Danny asked. "What's wrong?"

"I can't believe this. I think I…may have left it at Technus's lair?"

Tucker, Sam, and Danny had gone into the Ghost Zone the previous evening to meet up with the techno-ghost, who had been willing to go head-to-head with Tucker to help him practice for the Hackers' Competition. It wasn't hard to deduce that Technus saw Tucker as his real-world human apprentice, someone to pass his knowledge on to, even if no one admitted it out loud. Nevertheless, the trip had proven to be worth it, if nothing more than a challenging competition mock-up against a tough opponent. Tucker had even picked up a few new cool tricks from the ghost.

After a long silent moment, Danny replied, "Want me to go check with Technus to see if your beret is there?"

"Please?" Tucker responded, desperation filling his voice. "I promise I'll get you something extremely awesome at the NASA center in California!"

"Throw in a shake from the Nasty Burger and you've got yourself a deal."

"Done. Please hurry though. And call me as soon as you find out something."

* * *

Tucker was still pacing the floor, but now staring at his phone in his hands, waiting for it to ring. It had been half an hour since he had last spoken to Danny, and he had to leave within the next hour. He was starting to worry that perhaps Danny had been caught off-guard by another ghost and was now in danger, and that it was all his fault for asking him to go into the Ghost Zone in the first place.

He was shaken out of his worrying moments later by the _Star Wars_ ringtone on his phone. Thankfully, the caller was Danny. He answered without hesitation, "Hey! Any luck?"

"Nope. Sorry, dude," came Danny's somber response.

Tucker's heart sank. "Are you sure? Perhaps he hid it for some reason?"

"No. He even mentioned that he wanted to know where you got yours, because he said, and I quote, that it is 'very hip and cool.' Apparently, you're a techno-geek fashion icon."

"Well, I can't be that if I don't have any beret to iconize! What am I gonna do? This is one of the biggest things I've ever done! I need my lucky beret!"

"Okay, okay. Look, I'll go check the rest of my house one more time, just in case I missed it, but I'm pretty sure it's not there. I'll let you know though."

"Mkay. See ya." With that, Tucker hung up his phone and slumped into his desk chair. He was at a loss as to where his beret might be, and what he was gonna do without it. He knew it was silly to rely on a hat for luck, but it really was a lucky charm for him, or at least it gave him a good boost of self-confidence, which he definitely needed for the competition.

Just as he was about to give up on the whole search, Tucker's mom knocked on his door and walked in with a basket of laundry.

"Hey honey," she started. "I was just folding clothes and I came across this. It must have gotten tangled up in your clothes from last night."

Tucker looked up at his mom to see her holding a red beret in her right hand. In a flash, he grabbed it from her and checked its inner tag to see that it had the star he had drawn on it with Sharpie back in the tenth grade to single it out as his lucky beret. He couldn't help but let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Mom. I've been looking everywhere for this!" he told her, overjoyed to have his luck back.

"No problem, sweetie. Now, hurry up and finish packing. It's almost time for you to leave!" she answered, walking out of his room.

Tucker smiled at his beret and was about to put it on, but then remembered he needed to let Danny know that he found it. He laid it on his bed, took a picture of it, and sent it to Danny with the caption:

" _Hey! Turns out it was in the laundry. Thx for the help tho. I'll get u a burger with that shake when I get back. See ya!_ "

* * *

 _Not a fashion person, so this is what you get. B)_


	7. Never Gonna Tell a Lie

**Never Gonna Tell a Lie - Day 7: Resume**

* * *

Danny was hellbent on making this the most relaxing, care- and ghost-free summer for his friends. Beginning with the cross-country fiasco a few summers ago with Freakshow, the trio had not had a real summer vacation in nearly five years. To remedy this situation, Danny had insisted on having a simple picnic party in the park the first day out of school, no questions asked.

With that in mind, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Cassie arrived at the park around noon, prepared for a full day of fun in the sun. All around them, other people seemed to have the same idea to spend the day at the park, creating a very lively atmosphere. The girls began setting up the blanket and music, while the boys, Tucker especially, insisted on starting up the park grill and barbecuing the hamburgers (and veggie burger for Sam) they had brought.

"Man, I love the smell of grilled meat in summer!" Tucker proclaimed, taking in a big whiff of the burgers sizzling before him.

"And in autumn, and winter, and spring," Danny added, putting the extra burgers back in their cooler.

"There's never a wrong time to be a meat connoisseur, Danny."

"True that. Unless you're Sam."

Within twenty minutes, the burgers were ready and grilled to perfection, thanks to "Tucker's magic touch." The group began setting up their individual plates, adding chips, fruits, and other snacks along with the burgers. Finally, they all laid back on the blanket, enjoying the music and food against the background noise of summer in the park.

"Man, these are really good burgers!" Cassie said between bites. "You're a good cook, Tucker."

"Hehe, thanks babe," he answered, pulling her in for a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, I gotta even admit, you did an awesome job with my veggie burger," Sam added in. "You're getting better with them."

"Eh, I've come to the conclusion that if you put up with our meat-eating, I can tolerate your vegetarianism, strange as it is."

"Why thank you ever so much," Sam returned in a sarcastic, yet joking tone.

Pretty soon, the four of them were done with their food, and were now laying down on the blanket, tanning and talking.

"So, you guys wanna catch a movie tonight? I think the theater's having a discount on snacks to celebrate the beginning of summer!" Tucker asked the group.

"Sure," Cassie replied, along with the other two, before adding, "But are we just gonna lay here until then?"

"Uh, no. Why?" Danny asked.

"Well, I was thinking, what with everyone else here running around, I was thinking we could play a little game of our own," she offered, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a frisbee.

The other three looked between each other, unsure of whether or not they wanted to play.

"C'mon. We can make it interesting and play couple versus couple. Whoever loses has to…pay for the other couple's movie tickets and snacks tonight."

Surprisingly, this proposition seemed to interest Sam the most, bringing out her competitive athletic streak. "Oh hell yes, I'm in! A paid-for evening is always welcome in my world."

Danny looked at her incredulously. "But you're rich."

"So? I like free stuff. Now get up, love, we've got a game to win."

Cassie turned to Tucker. "You in?"

"Haha! Sure! Although, I don't know how useful I'll be. Plus, Sam will probably kick our butts in two minutes, tops. She's surprisingly good at sports."

"Eh. So what? It'll be fun!"

"Alright, alright, I'll play," Tucker gave in, then added to himself, "And _pay_."

The four moved to an open area, Cassie yelling out the rules as they walked. "Okay. The field goes from that tree to that bench. You can't move while holding the frisbee, only pass to your teammate. And whoever gets to ten points first, wins the game!"

"Got it!" Sam answered as she and Danny walked to the other end of the field before turning back around to face Tucker and Cassie, game faces on.

Cassie threw the frisbee towards them and then ran with Tucker down the field to defend, she covering Sam and Tucker covering Danny.

Sam threw the frisbee to Danny and ran closer towards the end zone, waiting for a return pass. Tucker stood defensively in Danny's space, trying to hinder his throw. As Danny finally found an opening to the right of him and threw the frisbee towards Sam, Tucker reached out and slapped the disc down, sending it crashing to the ground.

Tucker stood motionless in shock, astonished that he had actually made a defensive play while playing a sport, and _it wasn't even a video game._

"Pick it up! Pick it up!" he heard Cassie yelling at him. This jolted him back to reality, causing him to reach down for the frisbee before Danny got to it, who also had been shocked by his friend's action. He looked back up, searching for Cassie who had moved about halfway down the field towards the other end zone, Sam on her tail.

Trying to remember what they had learned in gym, Tucker waited a few seconds before throwing the disc towards his girlfriend. He watched as it started out wobbly before finally leveling out and landing squarely in her open hand.

Tucker looked down at his hand, whispering to himself, " _Whoa_ …" before running down the rest of the field into the end zone.

Cassie noticed that Danny was right behind him, so she threw the frisbee ahead of Tucker, forcing him to pick up speed as it flew through the air. With a giant surge of energy, he leaped up and dived the five remaining feet between him and the frisbee, before landing with a thud in the grass. Recovering from the hit, he looked at his left hand, and as the last of a series of surprises in the past few minutes, he saw the frisbee grasped firmly in his grip.

With a smile of joy on his face, Tucker stood up and looked towards Cassie, who was running towards him along with the others. He picked her up and spun her around, before setting her down and looking at everybody's faces filled with disbelief.

"Tucker! You made it sound like you were bad at frisbee!" Cassie told him, poking him playfully in the shoulder.

"I thought I was! I've never been that good at sports, and I thought that just applied to all of them," he answered.

"Then what was that?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. A fluke? But it all just felt…instinctive."

"Nuh uh," Cassie returned. "I've played a lot of frisbee, and that was some of the best skill I've ever seen, especially for a newbie. You're good!"

"Well, if you say so. But I need to do some more tests myself." At this, Tucker looked challengingly at Danny and Sam, who realized they had their work cut out for them. "Come on. Let's play some frisbee!"

* * *

 _And there it is! My Tucker Appreciation fics! Love ya, Tuck!_

 _Also, check out my profile for a link to Cassie!_


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